God-Fearing Seekers

God-Fearing Seekers

8. So a Samaritan helped his enemy. Remember the passages we looked at in our love study about how pagans love their friends but we as Christians are called to stand out by loving even our enemies? In the story of the Good Samaritan, Jesus used the example of a person that the Israelites would have equated with a pagan, as Samaritans worshiped other gods. How do you think it was possible for a pagan to love his enemy? What did the Samaritan’s actions show about him? (Also consider what we learned earlier in our fear study.)

9. Read Galatians 6:9-10 and Titus 3:8. According to these verses, how does a true follower of Christ act? How do these verses match with the actions of the Good Samaritan?

10. How did the Samaritan’s actions clarify Jesus’ parable on who a neighbor is, and thus how a believer should act? Do you think the Samaritan was a good example of what it means to have a heart for God? Do you think his heart was more in tune to God’s heart than the priest’s and Levite’s were? What significance does this present us?

11. Muslims are often viewed as enemies—enemies of Christianity. We especially feel this way when we hear of Christians being persecuted by Muslims in other countries. But according to the passages we’ve looked at, how should we respond toward them?

12. It is true that Islam differs from Christianity on some key points (see Appendix 1: A Brief Overview of Islam Practice). But on a positive note, there are Muslims who share many Christian beliefs and values. There are those in the Muslim community who are truly seeking after God and want to live good lives—loving God and loving others. Perhaps these Muslims are similar to the Good Samaritan—non-believers, yet following God’s laws—God-fearers. If Jesus were to tell this story to us, putting a Muslim as the good neighbor, what would be your reaction?

We need to be careful not to judge others based on their upbringing, career, traditions, etc. We could easily have believed that the priest and Levite were amazing and godly men just because of the positions they held. On those same assumptions, we could have believed that the Samaritan was evil. But Jesus showed that was not the case; in fact, it was quite the opposite. The priest and Levite had a lot to learn if they wanted to be true followers of God, while the Samaritan was on the right track to understanding what it meant to follow God. Perhaps there are some Muslims who are also on the right track as seekers and God-fearers, while some in the Christian community are far from understanding what it means to be followers of Christ. For more on this topic, check out “For Further Ponderings—Known by Their Fruit.”

Jesus came across many sympathizers among the Gentiles during his ministry on earth, and he commended them for their faith (see Mt. 8:5-13, Mk. 7:24-30, Lk. 7:1-10, Jn. 4:1-42, Jn. 4:43-54). After Jesus ascended into heaven, Peter finally realized that non-Jews could be followers of Jesus as well. Let’s look at our last character study—Cornelius.